


i knew you were trouble (when you walked in)

by newrromantics



Category: Gossip Girl
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-28 05:39:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2720777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newrromantics/pseuds/newrromantics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Serena is sixteen the first time she meets Blair Waldorf. It's in an underground club that Vanessa had dragged her to upon her return to the city back from boarding school where she had ran wild, free, without a single care in the world. Upon the moment she saw Blair standing there, in a shimmery black dress that fell just above her knees, a thin black headband nestled atop the girls head of loose curls, well, Serena just had this feeling that she would be absolute trouble. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i knew you were trouble (when you walked in)

**Author's Note:**

> i don't have a beta. this doesn't really have much of a plot. i don't really know what this is, only that it's the longest thing i think i've written and there's some passages i really like in it.

_sixteen_

 

Serena is sixteen the first time she meets Blair Waldorf. It's in an underground club that Vanessa had dragged her to upon her return to the city back from boarding school where she had ran wild, free, without a single care in the world. Upon the moment she saw Blair standing there, in a shimmery black dress that fell just above her knees, a thin black headband nestled atop the girls head of loose curls,  _well_ , Serena just had this feeling that she would be absolute trouble. 

 

Blair had looked innocent. Had bat her eyelashes and doe eyes all night long as she sipped on cocktails but never tasted the shots Serena kept tipping back into her throat. Blair had barely spoken, had just surveyed the club with ever watchful eyes and had acted superior and above the trashiness of it all. Serena couldn't tear her eyes away from the brunette beauty, watched her with interest as she danced with Vanessa. 

 

"She's like you, spoilt trust fund bitch." Vanessa had shouted above the electrifying beats of the music pumping all around them. Serena had thought so as soon as she had seen her enter the club that she was wealthy, the old money sort that comes from a traditional family that upholds the traditional UES values. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. Blair held herself with perfect posture, with a perfected gentleness and grace that had been practiced and practiced and practiced until the facade of it had been aced. Certain royal highness radiated from her with the way she surveyed the swarm of people but never joined in, eyebrows that rose in a bitchy sort of manner that mean girls knew how to do too well, her lips turning upwards at the side in a  _you think you know me but you never will_ sort of way. Yeah, Serena had guessed it from the moment Blair had walked in, the innocent mean girl who's never been found spewing her guts out and who'll be married to a blue blood five years after high school and who'll live the perfect, charming, society life. 

 

Serena had been the same, old money, wealth. Except she had been on the other side of the coin: trashy. Had brought alcohol and drugs and partied until the earliest hours of the morning. Gotten herself in the middle of affairs, had split marriages apart, slept with business men and high school boys and famous rockstars and sometimes she hasn't remembered a thing. Had faced brunch with a hangover and had been met with disapprovingly looks by the elders. It was why she had been sent away,  _to clean up her act_ , as her mother had so harshly put it.  _  
_

"What's she doing here?" Serena shouts back, her eyes never tearing away from watching Blair. Vanessa had let out a hollow laugh, shook her head and told Serena she didn't want to know. Pursing her lips, Serena decided she wasn't going to argue to find out why a girl like Blair was in a club like  _this_ ; even the high end society girl's like her that drank until they blacked out and did pills and lines of cokes in bathrooms did it in a place that was high end, covered in gold and in dresses that looked like art pieces. Serena had started out like that, wearing designer labels and laughing with the other girls she had befriended that ran in the same social wealth circles as her as they snorted coke in the bathrooms and then went out to greet people they had known since birth. When she was thirteen she had gotten into a particularly bad fight with her overbearing mother who disapproved of everything Serena did and had ran into Vanessa while wandering the streets of Brooklyn - just to piss her mother off. 

 

That's how Vanessa and Serena had become friends. Serena thought it would drive Lily insane that her best friend was a creative poor girl living on her older sister's couch who had already dropped out of school to pursue directing. And it had driven her mother insane. But, in the process she had also made a life long friend,  _a sister._ Vanessa had known Serena's intentions, had hated her from the moment she saw her, just another poor little rich girl who didn't get on with mummy dearest.  _I'm not going to be your project,_ Vanessa had spit out at Serena. Wickedly, Serena had promised her the world, just enough money to get her film up and going.  _Not your charity case,_ Vanessa had angrily pointed out. Her anger didn't last long when her need to succeed had won out. Vanessa had needed the money, so she fucking took it, putting her pride behind her and then a miracle had taken place, the two of them fell in love with each other. Becoming the family they both so desperately craved, Vanessa's parents were insane and overbearing in their own unique way and while her sister was great she was never around. 

 

"God, she's actually a psycho bitch," Vanessa tells her as they reapply lipgloss in the dirty bathroom. Vanessa lets out a laugh of disbelief as she rants about Blair, "but somehow,  _somehow_ , god forbid  _how_ , I've fucking grown to like her." Serena lets out a laugh at that, somehow unable to believe that Vanessa had grown to like someone like Blair Waldorf. She didn't know the girl personally but from what she could tell, she was the exact prototype Lily had wanted Serena to be and Serena could never quite manage to be. The only reason Serena and Vanessa got along was because Serena may come from money but she wasn't like  _them._ Vanessa shrugs her shoulders, examining Serena put on the finishing touches of her lipgloss and says  _whatever._

 

Serena learns that Blair and Vanessa are roommates. That Vanessa goes to Constance now, had given school a second chance, and that's where she had met Princess Blair, as Vanessa had so fondly named her. Serena's too high to remember most of the details Vanessa spurts out throughout the night but she gathers she's staying with Vanessa because Blair can't stand her own fucking mother and Vanessa's letting her stay because Blair's paying. They've even got their own flat. Serena doesn't ask why Blair chose to live with Vanessa when it's clear the two of them aren't the best of friends - get along well enough - and anyway, Blair could afford her own flat,  _so-_

 

But Serena doesn't ask, and Serena doesn't really care. It ends too suddenly, the night wrapping up at about half past one with the three of them spilling into a cab Blair had ordered. Serena's staring to feel sleepy and Vanessa's laughing at some joke some guy had said back at the bar fifteen minutes ago and Blair's shooting the two of them disapproving looks the whole car ride. Somehow it feels comfortable, like Serena belongs even if it is the most uncomfortable car ride of her entire experience. Maybe she's just too fucking high to put into words. 

 

Vanessa stumbles off ahead, bidding Serena a small goodbye. Blair lingers in the taxi a moment longer, her eyes are transfixed on Serena for a minute, as if Blair's searching for something she can't find. Serena feels a little naked as Blair looks at her, and then Blair smiles at her, sweet and kind and she's rethinking all of the judgements she had made about Blair Waldorf earlier in the night. 

 

"It was nice meeting you, Serena." Blair mumbles as she leans in to press a warm kiss to Serena's cheek, a piece of paper sliding across Serena's skin and then Blair's gone, too. In the morning Serena will wonder if she simply imagined her but she'll find a neatly folded note with girly neat cursive,  _b.w._ and a row of numbers printed out across it. Leaping out of bed, Serena grabs her flip phone, punching in the numbers as fast as she can. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lily lets out a loud sigh, huffing in obvious distress as Serena chomps on apples for breakfast. All of three days she's been home and it's clear her mother already wants her gone. Eric grins at her cheekily from across the table, already knowing of the thoughts swirling about in her brain in regards to Lily and how she isn't wanted home by her at all. Serena scrunches her nose, pokes out her tongue and rolls her eyes causing Eric to burst out into a fit of chuckles. Smiling, Serena realises how much she's missed him. Even if her mother hates her, and her father doesn't care enough about her to make any sort of contact with her, and the family is ever changing and ever growing with each new man Lily marries, (the current one being Bart Bass, with a son of his own), she has Eric and when it comes down to it he's all that matters. 

 

"Serena," Lily sighs, shaking her head. Once again, Serena rolls her eyes, sick of the constant disappointment her mother served up. Chuck Bass, her brand new shiny step brother who she already can't stand lets out a chuckle. Her attention snaps towards him, her eyes narrowing as she examines him. So far he's been nothing but sarcastic and pervy, it's safe to say Serena isn't a fan of his yet. His eyes linger too long on her legs, rude remarks spilling from his lips about her appearance. It's really none of his business to comment on what she looks like and how she'd look better in his bed, anyway, she doesn't care for guys. 

 

Just as Lily is about to say something else, another disappointed sigh, or a comment about how Serena needs to pick up her act, she checks the time. Interrupting her mother before she begin, Serena smiles, "Oh look at the time!" Serena gasps in mock surprise, sweeping her bag off of the floor and onto her back. "I'm going to be late for school!" Serena shouts over her shoulder, her long legs getting her to the elevator in record time. Surprisingly, she was looking forward to going back to school, although she used to skip all the time, Serena really did love learning. Catching up with all the old friends she had left behind wouldn't hurt either, none of them had bothered to stay in touch while Serena had been off at boarding school and a small part of her missed the high society girls she called her friends during the day.

 

"Serena," Her mothers voice interrupts her thoughts, an irritated Serena swinging her body around so she could glare at her mother. _What now?_ She thought, the anger that had been boiling deep inside her all morning now very visible on her face. Eric bowed his head when her eyes swept a glance over him, and Chuck let out another hollow chuckle as her eyes landed on him. Bart Bass, her mothers new husband looked unimpressed and bored, as he had every other moment she had seen him, rolling her eyes, her attention turned back on her mother.

 

"You're no longer a student at Nightingale-Bamford," Lily says softly. Serena feels her heart drop to the bottom of her chest, her features contorting to show confusion, her jaw going slack and her eyes crinkling.

 

"What?" Serena says dumbfounded, what did Lily mean she was no longer a student at _her own school._ Serena had attended Nightingale since she was five years old, just a little girl in piggy tails and big hopes and dreams for the future. Up until nine months ago she was still enrolled, but took a short break out of the school when she went to attend boarding school in Connecticut. She should still be enrolled as a student there, though, right?

 

"Nightingale took a look at your grades and simply decided that they didn't want you back. Luckily, Bart had the genius idea to enroll you at Constance Billard for Girls, the sister school for St Judes where Chuck attends!" Lily explains, clasping her hands together in excitement as she explains the news. Serena's face lights up upon hearing the name of her brand new school, the same school Vanessa and _Blair_ attends. Serena grins lazily as she thinks about the last conversation the two of them had, a mere three hours ago consisting of Blair insulting everything Serena had said and Serena's affection for Blair growing. It's been two days since she had met her and she already feels like a long lost best friend. Lily looks taken aback at the smile and the gracious way Serena has accepted the fact she's no longer a student at the school she's been attending since she was just a child.

 

"You're not mad?" Lily asks worriedly, a little hesitant. Obviously she had been expecting an outburst, a famous Serena, "this is not what I want so I'm going to act out by getting ridiculously drunk and destroying our family name until I get what I want" - but boarding school had changed her, had shaped her to see the error of her past mistakes. It had both been the best thing to happen to her and the worst; a small shudder runs through Serena as she remembers that last week, walking along the riverside as she made her way back to the school, her eyes landing on a disfigured corpse in the distance. It was the reason for her sudden return home. It had been worse once they figured out who the dead girl was, one of their own students, a girl Serena had befriended in the first week but had soon forgotten about once the older and cooler girls had taken Serena under their wing. That last week had been horrific, between the murder of a student, Serena finding the dead body, and then the taunting and the teasing and the accusations that  _Serena_ had killed her, it had all been enough to drive Serena van der Woodsen back into New York City and into the waiting arms of her mother. Nine months ago she had vowed not to return until she was done with high school aside from Christmases and the Summer break, but it had been derailed, of course. Lily knew none of this, thinking Serena had just missed home. Thankfully, the school hadn't made a fuss about alerting her parents, (or parent; since she can't remember the last time she had been in contact with her father), over what had happened.

 

"Far from it, actually." Serena says, smiling. "Vanessa's a student there," Lily rolls her eyes at the mention of Serena's dearest friend, still unimpressed that her daughters best friend wasn't from money or a respectful family name. Lily would be overjoyed at the fact that Serena had sort of befriended Blair Waldorf, though. So she leaves out the little detail that she knows another girl from Constance. Serena grimaces as she thinks about how pleased Lily would be of the fact that she's sort of friends with Blair Waldorf, the whole idea of the friendship growing less on her the more she thinks about how happy Lily would be from it. The Waldorf's were old money, a respectful family, one that people admired greatly; they were grace and elegant and class, they spoke true to what it meant to be an upper east side family, believing in all the small values of Cotillion and marrying into blue blood royalty and what not. Blair was the embodiment of what Lily wanted Serena to be, and as she learnt more about Blair, the more she learnt how true that very statement was; Lily would love Blair, adore her, would want her to be her own daughter but she would also think Blair could fix Serena; turn her into somebody like her, classy and respectful and tasteful. Serena wanted to puke at the whole idea, usually that would be enough to put Serena off someone, the fact that her mother would adore them would be a deal breaker _but_ Serena had a feeling Blair wasn't the perfect child she made herself out to be. She was living with Vanessa Abrams after all. There was more to Blair Waldorf than meets the eye, and Serena was intrigued.

  
"Yes, _Vanessa_ , what a darling young lady she is." Lily gritted through her teeth, faux society smile on her face. Serena hummed in response, enjoying the look of discomfort her friendship with Vanessa caused her mother to have. It was stupid, Serena knew Lily wasn't the perfect socialite she made herself out to be. Serena knew all about her mother running away, causing her own sort of mayhem, the fallouts with her own mother, that time she lived on a tour bus with a band as a groupie, the drugs and the drinking and the pregnancy scares; her mother's own youth rivaled Serena's and it hadn't even stopped there, she had gone through countless divorces, countless marriages, and wasn't exactly known in social circles for her elegance or class. Her past still followed her everywhere she went. Serena felt a little guilty at times, one of the main reasons the whispers had never faded was because Serena was following in the footsteps of her mother but it was stupid to blame it all on Serena. Most people adored Serena, showered her with love and compliments because Serena was _nice_ , she was nice and sweet and pretty and golden. Made you feel safe and warm and cosy. Serena knew she had a certain charm about her that fooled people into thinking she was all the things her mother wanted to be.

 

"Do I start today?" Serena asks, hoping the answer is yes. That way she'd be able to see Blair again, the very thought of her is enough to bring a smile to her face and she doesn't understand what it is about the girl that makes her so interested in her. Lily nods her head, humming a yes, and diving off into conversation about the new school and how wonderful it was that she'd be attending a school so close to Chuck - _it'll bring the two of you closer together_ , she hears Lily say and Serena rolls her eyes at that as she pulls her phone out of her bag. Fingers tapping across the screen to let Vanessa know that they'd be going to the same school. Serena was quite impressed that Vanessa had chosen to go to a school filled with rich kids, Vanessa wasn't exactly their biggest fan at all; it was a miracle she had gotten in at all, really but apparently the board of trustees at Constance were very accepting and a few other scholarship children were in attendance. Along with being impressed that Vanessa is able to go to a school with a bunch of people she hates, she's impressed and very proud that she got the scholarship. Remembers Vanessa blabbering on about how the school had basically begged for Vanessa to attend once she had put forward an application. Serena wasn't surprised in the slightest, Vanessa was amazingly talented and super smart.

 

_serious? hah!_

 

Serena frowns at the text, choosing to ignore it as she bid goodbye to her family. Chuck swooped right up next to her, offering her a ride in his limo. Rolling her eyes, she knew he was meaning a lot more than just giving her a lift to school but she accepted it anyway. Lily calls her name out again, pointing that she's wearing the wrong school uniform and ordering her to change. Serena obliges, giving in to her mothers demands. She finds the uniform hanging up in her wardrobe, surprisingly it's not awful.

 

"You know, I've never had sex with my sister before." Chuck tells her. They're sitting side by side in his limo, expensive leather and expensive alcohol is all she would use to describe it. Serena scrunches her nose, looking over at him; he's wearing a small smirk and has a gleam in his eye. _Ugh,_ Serena thinks, feeling sorry for whatever girl has deemed him worthy enough for the night.

 

"I'm not your sister," Serena points out first because she doesn't want to start off at a new school where people think they're _related._ Just because her mother was stupid enough to marry his father doesn't mean they're family. Chuck shrugs his shoulders, not caring about it in the slightest. "Second of all, I'm not interested in you." Serena tells him, batting his hand away from where he's placed it on her leg. 

 

Chuck scoffs, nodding his head and removing his hands. "Yeah, I believe that." Serena frowns. Pressing her lips together, her back straightens and they spend the rest of the ride in silence. Of course, Chuck doesn't talk to her again, after all, once she's not available for sex, she's no longer available to be viewed as a human, either. It doesn't take her by surprise in the slightest.

 

 

 

 

 

Vanessa grabs Serena by her wrist as soon as the blonde steps foot on the school grounds. Serena can't help but let out a laugh upon seeing her friend, her bald best friend who only ever wears black is wearing a plaid skirt and a white blouse with polished shoes and a tie.

 

"Shut up," Vanessa growls at her, crossing her arms over her chest and dropping Serena's arm. Serena stills her laughter, her eyes lit with joy and a huge grin on her face but she's silent, so that's gotta count for something, right? Vanessa looks livid, eyes angry and mouth in a thin line. Serena's never seen Vanessa like this, looking so _innocent_ ; it's the only word that comes to her mind at first, and then the word proper. Because Serena's seen Vanessa in about a hundred different versions of herself, there's the one she's most familiar with: bald Vanessa who only wears black and lots of bracelets and eyeliner and shiny lip gloss. There's the Vanessa she first met: long black hair, so long, so shiny, and she wore jeans and plain t-shirts and converse and light make up. And there's been the Vanessa's in between: the short time Vanessa tried out the colour pink, being _girly girly girly_ , the time she let Serena dress her up in dresses that covered nothing, and girly punk rock Vanessa who wore short skirts and band tees and tried so hard to fit in with what was _cool._ But Serena has never seen Vanessa dressed in a school uniform, following the rules, dressed in clothes she would never pick out herself. Vanessa's been a lot of people and tried a lot of different styles but in the moment they've always been _Vanessa_ and they've always been for Vanessa, she's gone and picked it out and decided that's who she wants to be. It took a lot of trail and error until she became the Vanessa that Serena knows now, the only girl that Serena can imagine her being because bald Vanessa who wears a lot of black is the Vanessa that Vanessa has loved and felt more comfortable in than all the other Vanessa's she's tried on. It's shocking for Serena to see her as someone else.

 

"I'm sorry," Serena says quietly, a moment later. Can't even imagine how uncomfortable Vanessa must be right now, her identity being stripped away from her as she's made to dress a way she doesn't want. Vanessa prides herself on her identity, and she expresses that through what she chooses to wear and how she chooses to wear her hair. Linking their arms together, Serena pulls her best friend closer to her. Bending down a little, Serena rests her head on the shorter girl's shoulders as they wander around the corridors.

 

"I didn't think you were serious when you sent me that text," Vanessa admits. Serena chuckles, removing her head from Vanessa's shoulder once it had started to get uncomfortable. Standing outside the office, Serena sighs. Vanessa grins at her, before bidding her farewell and moving off to her first class. Pushing open the door, Serena steps inside. An office lady smiles at her from behind their desk, beckoning her forward with a warm smile.

 

"Serena van der Woodsen, right?" Serena nods her head, a smile lighting up her face as the office lady, _Miss Maydel,_ her tag reads, engages in friendly conversation with her as they sort out her timetable and what not. Serena is soon off to her first class, interrupting the lesson with an apologetic smile. All eyes are on her, it's not an unfamiliar feeling at all and she's grateful that this time eyes are on her not because her white dress is soaked through or because she found a dead body in the woods.

 

"Hi, I'm Serena!" Giving a small wave to the class, followed up by an angelic laugh, she introduces herself. Blair's sitting in the front row, her eyes narrowing as she examines Serena up and down. Her smile falters as she watches Blair and spots nothing but anger hidden in her features. Flanked by Blair are girls all around her, dressed in matching headbands and tights; and _oh,_ it hits Serena like a ton of bricks. Blair's got her own army at Constance, doesn't she? An army of girls who match their clothes together and judge silently. Serena sends Blair a brief smile before trudging down to the back of the room, suddenly feeling very small despite her stature and confident nature. Serena's never really been on the receiving end of death glares, much less from a girl she's interested in and her own personal army. Vanessa had mentioned something about an army of minions drunkenly the other night when Serena had met Blair but she hadn't paid much attention to her best friends drunken rambles at all. It made sense seeing it now, though. Blair didn't have any room in her life for a new friends, _did she even have friends?_ Serena wondered as she scribbled down notes in her book, the girls looked like they got along well enough but by observing them for a few seconds you could tell they held no emotional connection with one another that surpassed bitching and bloody mary's. 

 

It's probably for the best, anyway. The last thing Serena really needs right now is to fall head over heels in love with someone; it didn't turn out too nicely the last time. He had a girlfriend, they were on the outs and then entered in Serena: perfect, perfect Serena, who once he got things sorted out with his girlfriend, he didn't have time for anymore. It took a whole entire  _month_ for Serena to get over him, replaying every memory they ever shared together in her mind on a loop. She falls too fast, and too hard, usually it's the guy's she leaves bruised and battered, aching for her touch - it had scared her when she had been on the opposite end. 

 

"Serena!" A voice snaps her to attention, her eyes focusing in on where Blair Waldorf stands in front of her. On either side of her she's flanked by a girl, on her right a tall brunette and on her left a small blonde. The two other girls that she had assumed were apart of Blair's group are still sitting in their seats, their backs facing the wall and their faces facing Serena, Blair & co. Both of them are leaning in two each other, whispering words that Serena can't make out. When Serena looks back up at Blair, she still has a smile plastered on her face, one that screams  _i may look sweet right now, like i'm pleased with you and all, but one wrong move and i'll fucking be the end of you._ Serena's dealt with enough girls like that in a lifetime to be able to tell who they are in a crowd. Serena smiles back up at her, mirroring the sweet yet bitchy smile plastered on Blair's face. 

 

"Blair!" Serena echoes the sweetness that had oozed out of Blair's voice mere seconds earlier, but unlike the brunette counterpart standing in front of her, her voice didn't exactly ooze out the same warning tone of fake and  _mess with me and i'll destroy you_ tone that Blair's had. Hers sounded more sweet, more genuine. Part of it was. Blair's back straightens at that, raising an eyebrow as if she's impressed, she lets a smile grace her face. 

 

"Girls, this is Serena; a new friend of ours. Serena, this is Penelope," Blair points to the tall brunette standing next to her, who has one hand cocked on her hip, a pout on her lips and a bored tone all about her. "And this is Hazel," Blair points to the blonde next to her, who looks less cocky and miserable than Penelope had, and more welcoming but still uneasy. "And, the girls behind us sitting in the front with us are Kati and Is, my best friends." Blair smiles as she mentions Kati and Is, a warm, bright smile that lights up her whole face and makes Serena slightly weak at the knees. Both girls perk up at hearing their names, waving and laughing. Serena isn't sure who's who but she's certain she'll find out.

 

"Join us for the lunch at the MET steps," Blair tells her before disappearing back down the row and to her seat. After a second Penelope and Hazel trail behind her, like they're a little lost without her guidance. Serena leans back in her seat, wondering how Vanessa will take the news that Serena's been accepted into what she supposes is the in crowd. Probably laugh and tell her  _i fucking told you so_. Serena grins, whipping her phone out to send Vanessa a quick text; she won't mind at all that she won't be joining her for lunch, after all, Vanessa usually goes to the cafe where she works, picking up a shift where she can. Serena doubts she'd be able to turn Blair down, in between the offer for lunch sounding more like an order and the ever growing crush Serena has on her, well -  _it'd be quite hard to say no._

 

That's how Serena winds up sitting on the steps in front of the MET for the next week. There's an order in how they're seated, ranked in order of importance. Blair sits at the very top of the stairs, usually donning a cape and eating yogurt as she rolls her eyes at her so called friends and engages in mindless chatter about the new Chanel clutch they saw earlier or the pair of Tiffany earrings Kati was admiring on the way to school, the conversation then drifts off into what happened at lasts weeks party and who's been hooking up with who, followed by a round of firing insults at whoever wore whatever was ugly that day. Is and Kati sit on the step right below Blair, the two of them mostly just talk between themselves, their outfits always coordinating as does their eye rolls and movements, echoing more twin like behaviour than best friend behaviour. The two of them always have something to say, and aren't shunned for their opinions the same way the other girls are. Penelope and Hazel sit on the lower step, joined by a girl named Roxanne and a girl named Lily, the latter being the two Serena prefers. All four of them are equally as bitchy and as scathing as the other but Roxanne and Lily at least sarcastic and funny. Plus, Serena likes their style and the way they include her in their conversations, gushing over whatever Serena's wearing that day and inviting her out for the weekend. Joining her on the lowest step is the youngest of the girls, she's fourteen, her name is Jenny, her hair is the same shade of blonde as Serena's and she doesn't say much other than smile and chime in with a nod here and there when insults are tossed out and Blair asks for her opinion, eyes crinkling as they set on Jenny, her voice sounding soft and sweet and scathing all at once when she asks,  _what did_ you  _think, Jenny?_

 

Serena is unsure of whether she loves them all or hates them all. But she does know for sure two things: 1. she would rather be spending her lunch with Vanessa and 2. her crush on Blair is rapidly dying and then regrowing at an alarming rate. 

 

 

 

 

 

Blair lets out a shrill little laugh, hanging her coat up. Serena stands awkwardly at the doorframe, watching as Blair shuffles around in the small room. After school she had been invited back to Blair and Vanessa's by Blair, it had been an offer that had taken her by surprise as Blair had mostly ignored her at school, at lunch. Although the two of them would frequently text and talk briefly if Serena happened to be at their place and Blair was around, which usually she wasn't. Through Vanessa and the other girls,  _the other minions,_ (Serena had found out the correct terminology to be used when talking about her new group of friends, because they weren't people at all; just mindless servants who did whatever Blair Waldorf wanted them to do), she had found out Blair had a boyfriend who attended St. Judes. For the past three weeks since Serena has returned to the city and been attending Constance, he's been off on a sailing trip with her father, but Blair still goes over to his house for the majority of the time to have dinner with his parents. Serena finds the whole thing odd, Blair won't even speak about her own family but frequently visits her boyfriend's family even when he's not around. Vanessa had rolled her eyes as she was complaining about it, telling Serena not to fucking question it because it's the only time she gets some peace and quiet from Blair's constant complaining. Usually she'd roll her eyes, because Vanessa may pretend to hate Blair, but Serena knows that she actually really loves her. 

 

"You can sit down, Serena." Blair calls out, rolling her eyes as she holds up a dress to her body and examines her reflection in the mirror. Serena nods her head, stepping forward into the room before sitting down on the bed. She doesn't know why she's so nervous. Usually she's bright and light and the life of the party but Blair makes her feel nervous, like one wrong move and she's never going to speak to her again. Blair sighs, examining herself at different angles with the dress held in front of her body before throwing it to the side and picking up a new dress; the same actions follow suit. Serena laughs as Blair goes through a bunch of different dresses, offering unneeded comments about how they look on Blair that Blair brushes off with an eye roll, a small smile fighting it's way to her lips and dryly telling Serena that  _your comments are unneeded, if i wanted your opinion, i would ask._ It doesn't shut Serena up though. Blair can pretend to hate the opinions Serena is throwing out but she can't keep that stupid smile off of her face, the comments being made taken into consideration. Serena finds herself thinking maybe the small crush she had harboured when they first met isn't quite gone at all. Blair grins happily, almost like it's the morning of her favourite holiday, as she finds the right dress. Blair quickly strips herself of the school uniform she'd been wearing, stepping out of her skirt and hanging it back up in her wardrobe, her shirt soon followed. Serena gulped, averting her eyes from where Blair was changing. 

 

"So, I was wondering what movie you want to watch?" Serena asks, her eyes still locked firmly on the ground. Blair hums, and Serena looks up to catch Blair examining her reflection once more. Serena's seen a lot of beautiful girls in her time, all sorts of beautiful, appearance wise and beauty wise, and all that; but Blair's a special kind of beautiful, Serena thinks. She can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but it's something that's captivated Serena. No-one has been able to do that before, maybe captivate her for a moment or two but then Serena's captivated by somebody else, and the only time she ever thought she could love somebody else -  _well, it didn't end all too well._ But she thinks maybe if soul mates exist, Blair could be hers. Even if she doesn't know all that much about her, aside from the fact that she likes control in her life and lives with Vanessa, she feels like they're meant to be. But then Serena remembers she's thought this about every single fucking girl she's ever had a crush on before. It'll pass, one day she'll wake up and wonder what she ever saw in Blair and why she ever thought they could ever become a thing. It happens every time, Serena falls in love too quickly, too fast, loves and trusts too easily. 

 

"Breakfast at Tiffany's." Blair replies without missing a beat. Serena grins, she's seen that one before. It was rather entertaining, set in the city the two of them have grown up in and featured a fabulous pink gown. 

 

"It's my favourite movie," Blair adds, sitting down on the bed next to Serena. "I love it. I love Audrey Hepburn." Blair continues, her face lighting up as she talks about it. Serena watches her with interest, wants her to ramble on about her interests forever and ever and ever, and to never stop. Blair looks so content, so happy, like she's  _glowing_ as she talks about the movie and about how she's been watching Audrey Hepburn movies since she was younger. "I don't care that Tiffany's is the one everyone knows her for, it's still my favourite. There's something special in that particular movie, it's just - " Blair trails off, unable to explain how exactly it's special. Serena grins, her eyes never straying from Blair's face for an instant. Blair hangs her head low a little, a small blush creeping along her cheeks; the shyness only last for a second, her head snapping back up and her features taking on a serious look. Squaring her shoulders and flashing pearly whites, any trace of the shy, giddy Blair talking about something that she loves is gone. 

 

"Should we put it on then?" Serena asks, awkwardly trying to fill up the silence that has swept into the room. Blair nods, moving off of the bed and grabbing her laptop and the dvd. Serena moves further up the bed, resting her head against the pillows. 

 

"You know, I really like you, Serena." Blair says quietly as she moves towards the bed with her laptop and dvd in hand. Serena grins at that, her whole face lighting up and her heart swelling with pride. "And I don't like many people." Climbing up into bed next to her, Blair sets the laptop in the middle of them, sliding the dvd and turning the movie on. Whenever Serena starts to talk during it, Blair glances over at her with a glare that shuts her up until she doesn't try and talk anymore. Legs and arms keep brushing against each other, and for over half of the movie Serena is much more focused on Blair than she is the movie. Blair hums the tune of Moon River under her breath, recites nearly each line silently and is overcome with joy throughout the whole movie. Once the movie ends, Blair turns to face Serena, propping her head up on her hand. 

 

"What did you think?" Blair asks eagerly, before Serena can respond, Blair's phone starts ringing. Rolling her eyes, the brunette puts up a finger as she reaches behind her for her phone. Serena stays quiet as Blair answers it, who's being awfully sweet to whoever's on the other end of the phone. Giggling and blushing and her voice so soft, Serena thinks Blair's boyfriend must be on the other end of the line and feels a sadness start to creep in. It's been so nice to just be with Blair, watching a movie, touching but barely. Serena had almost forgotten Blair even had a boyfriend. Once she hangs up, Serena smiles at her, wondering if she should launch into a speech about what she thought. 

 

"So, the movie, what did you think?" Blair asks, grinning. Serena feels relief wash over her. It would still be just the two of them, enjoying each others company. Getting to know each other, becoming friends. 

 

" _Well,_ " Serena starts, causing Blair to chuckle - for what reason, Serena isn't sure, but she does know that she thinks Blair's laugh is one of the most beautiful sounds she's ever heard. Then she launches into her speech about how she thinks the movie's  _gorgeous_ and Audrey had really nice style in it. Blair frowns, pleased at what Serena's said so far but still wanting  _more_ , craving her opinion on the storylines and not just the pleasing quality of the film. Serena shrugs, unsure of what to say about what she thought about the story other than it was romantic; she's never looked too deep into the meanings of films or books, if they're enjoyable, they're enjoyable, there's never been a reason for her to look deeper. Blair disagrees, launching into what she thinks the movie means and Serena can only think about the trouble she's getting herself into as she watches Blair talk, so passionate about the movie that she's spent ages thinking about in between the lines and the hidden messages. 

 

Serena finds herself talking about the movie for an hour, and then their conversation turns into another topic and then another topic and then another and another and another - until she's lost track and it's three in the morning and the two of them are laughing until they're stomachs hurt and their throats are sore. Blair laughs like she doesn't laugh often, with her head thrown back and her whole body shaking and her smile so wide that it probably hurts. And Serena watches her for a minute, watches her and memorises her laugh and the way she moves her body as she laughs and hopes that one day she won't have to rely on just this memory to be able to relive this; that she'll always be able to see this, to be able to see Blair so free and happy and so unlike that first day they met and so unlike she's ever seen her at school. 

 

Yawning, Blair stretches her arms well above her head. Serena smiles sleepily at Blair. "It's so late," Serena complains, checking the time to find it's in the early hours of the morning. "Fuck," Slips out of Serena's mouth as she sees the mass amount of missed calls she has from Lily. Serena had almost forgotten that she had promised to start coming home earlier, to try out  _being a family._ Blair looks alarmed as Serena rushes around her room, smoothing out the school uniform she hadn't changed out of and slinging her bag across her shoulder. Smiling apologetically at Blair she thanks her for the evening, telling her that she had a lot of fun and they should do it again. Blair smiles, nodding her head and agreeing before saying goodbye to Serena for the night. Serena tumbles into the living room, finding Vanessa asleep on the couch, and then rushes out of their apartment, catching a taxi back to her place and worrying the whole ride home. Serena wanted to be better but it's turning out to be a lot harder than she thought it would be. 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing good lasts forever. A month flies past of bliss. Blair and Serena are basically bonded at the hip now. No longer does she sit at the bottom step but at the  _very top_ step next to Blair. After one too many vodkas Blair had leaned in close to Serena, her brown hair mixing with Serena's blonde and whispered, "I don't like very many people and it's hard for me to let people in but you feel like a sister to me, Serena." And had grabbed her wrist and squeezed their hands together and drunkenly Serena had asked if she could kiss her, because Blair looked really beautiful under the colourful lights in the club. Throwing her head back, Blair had laughed, as if it was a joke. Serena didn't really care, anyway. 

 

In the past month both of them had changed. Blair was a little less wound up, more welcoming to the ideas of clubs and throwing back shots and letting people into her personal space and her problems. Serena was a little less wild, more welcoming to the idea of learning and getting home on time and letting this family Lily so desperately wanted to form. 

 

But nothing good lasts forever and it's been too good for too long. So it all starts going to hell on the same day, doesn't it? Serena should of known the day was going to be bad when she woke up half an hour late and had trouble finding the exact shade of lipstick she wanted. Her coffee spilling all over her after she had gotten dressed was a sign for sure. Falling down the stairs as she rushed out of the penthouse should of given her a clue that today was going to be extra bad. But - Serena hadn't let any of it derail her. Her spirit was high, her smile bright, her optimism in full force:  _today will be good, today will be great,_ running through her head like a mantra as things just got worse and worse throughout her morning. In the car Eric had been talking about how Lily wanted to go to France for summer and Chuck had grinned and had mentioned how his best friend had  _finally_ returned from some sailing trip. Serena had only half been paying attention, most of her focus was dedicated to the texts flowing between her and Blair. 

 

_my bfs back 2day! u get to meet him :)_

 

Serena rereads that text at least ten times. Tries to be really happy for her new found best friend. But all she can think about is how she wants to kiss Blair and lay in bed with her whole day watching movies and then hear Blair's thoughts on them. All she can think about is the sick feeling that's swishing around in her stomach and how things won't really be like they have been. Vanessa's told her that they'll change once Blair's boyfriend reappears but hadn't really gone on about  _how._ It scared her, Serena was usually welcome to change but she didn't want to have what she and Blair had to change. Part of her hoped that if she just had a little more  _time_ she could get Blair to see her in a romantic light, to realise that Serena's the only person she'll ever want to kiss - they were all foolish hopes and dreams. Foolish hopes and dreams Serena really needs to get over, to forget. 

 

She needs to be happy that she's going to be meeting Blair's boyfriend because Blair's boyfriend is important to her. So important that Blair still has dinner with his family while he's gone. Important enough that she's excited for Serena to finally be able to meet him, because believe it or not, Serena's become important to Blair. Smiling, she sends back a quick text,  _i'm excited!_ and feels surprised when she means every word. If it means a lot to Blair it means a lot to Serena. Vanessa said he's nice anyway. But from what she's gathered he's best friends with Chuck, so she doesn't really know how nice he could be. 

 

Blair flocks to her car as soon as she arrives at school. One leg is barely out of the door before Blair's all grins and tugging on her arm. Serena's never seen her this excited in public before, only in the confines of a bedroom where Blair felt safe enough to be herself. Serena already finds herself liking Blair's boyfriend if this is the reaction he's able to get out of her, it strikes her that she doesn't even know his name, at the same moment it strikes Blair she's in public and behaving like a little kid. Straightening her shoulders, she puts on the mask of coolness and helps Serena climb the rest of the way out of the car before linking arms with her and walking into the school. All eyes were on the two of them, watching and watching and watching. 

 

"Nate!" Blair calls, Serena's eyes landing on a boy who looks like he could be a model -  _oh no_. Her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach, freezes up inside as  _Nate Archibald_ walks towards him. Nate Archibald who broke Serena's heart when he left her with just a goodbye and returned back to his girlfriend once their fight had finished. Serena's tempted to cry, tends to get overly emotional once her emotions start playing up. All the optimism she had this morning has vanished once Nate reaches the two of them. Blair is smiling, beaming,  _so happy_ and Serena is frozen next to her, as still as a statue. And Nate - 

 

"Serena?" Nate gasps, the name tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop it. Blair frowns, looking between the two of them in confusion, eyes flickering between the guilty look on Nate's face and the stricken expression painted across Serena's. Blair's intelligent, it doesn't take more than a few seconds before she puts two and two together. Dropping Serena's arm and stepping away from the two of them with a look of disgust and hurt thrown on her face. Serena wants to throw up. This couldn't be happening -

 

Blair shakes her head once and then she's gone.

 

Serena doesn't know what she's supposed to do in a situation like this. Everything had sort of happened so fast. First there's a sort of sadness that floods her in between Blair rushing off and Nate chasing after her. Then it's anger because  _fuck_ what had just happened? Running her hands through her hair she felt the anger course up through her veins. It had been so long since she felt angry. But Blair had just taken off! Had just ran as soon as she suspected that something had happened between her and Nate. It felt like Serena had been slapped in the face the moment Blair's arm had fallen from her own. Blair had obviously been mad at her, the rage was written all over her face as she had looked at Serena as if she was to blame for whatever Blair imagined had gone on. Angry because fucking Nate - Nate who told her he loved her, Nate who broke her heart carelessly without a second thought, Nate who it had taken a month to get over.  _That_ Nate was Blair's boyfriend. Blair Waldorf's fucking boyfriend was Nate fucking Archibald and Serena had no fucking idea. 

 

Everyone flocks around her, moving on with their lives as Serena stands still in the middle of the courtyard. Thinking over what had just happened. Vanessa spots her just as the bell rings, still frozen in place as she tries to comprehend the events of the last five minutes. 

 

"Her boyfriend is Nate Archibald." Serena says. Vanessa doesn't move, doesn't say anything. For once her tongue has been bitten so she can listen to Serena. " _Nate._ " Serena takes another pause to recollect her breathe. Nate wasn't a horrible person, just clueless. In fact he was a lot like Cher Horowitz. It hadn't been his fault that Serena had loved him, it hadn't been his fault that their breakup had hurt so much. He had just been oblivious in the way he had done it, casually cruel in the way he had broken up with her. Blunt and honest and truthful.  _I think I'm getting back together with my girlfriend so this needs to end._ His words still ring in the back of her mind, his image still burnt into her brain. The words had slashed at her heart. It had been the first and only time she had even been left behind in the dust as someone chased someone else. It had left her feeling empty and worthless and all of a sudden she knew why people wrote songs about having their heart broken and ripped out. Nate hadn't done it with the intention of being malicious, he had done it with the intention of being honest. Serena knew before her he had had a girlfriend that he loved but that had fallen apart and he had found solace in her, in the way she was easy going and bright and sunny; she came into lives like sunshine and left a rainbow trail in her wake. Serena was fun to be around in your darkest moments, easy to hang out with, and once you hung out with her it was like all your problems melted away. Many people before Nate had used her, treated her as an easy replacement as their heart was broken and she had never minded, never thought twice of it, because they were all fun while they lasted, too. It was different with Nate, though. He had never treated her like a replacement while his heart was in the process of mending itself. He treated her as if she was fun to hang out because she was fun to hang out with. For a moment she thought he had loved her, too. Because he listened to her speak and conversed with her in topics nobody else had before. Had cared about what she had to say about her family and her friends and her worries and hopes and her dreams and she had done the same for him. It had been a fling nonetheless, but it had felt like a fling that was going somewhere into a relationship. Serena had loved him and Serena had never loved anybody except for Eric before. Then he didn't feel the same way at all, and that was crushing. "Nate who broke my heart," Serena whispered, trying her best not to burst into tears in the middle of the courtyard where anybody could bare witness. 

 

Vanessa reaches out for Serena, her arms wrap around Serena's neck, head buried into her shoulder. Serena had told her all about Nate, had just never mentioned his name. 

 

"It's alright," Vanessa whispers soothingly in Serena's ear, rubbing her back as Serena holds back the tears. Vanessa isn't an affectionate person, has trouble comforting others but for Serena? She tries. Because Serena has been there for her every time she's been close to cracking, and every time she's been hurt or wounded or sad. Serena's taught her that it's okay to cry and it's okay to let people help you and it's okay to let people see you in a time where you feel weak. Taught her that it was okay to keep it to herself and not share her pain with anybody else if that's what she truly wanted. "Let's get out of here," Vanessa says, wincing as the words come out of her mouth. She needs to stay, she could lose her scholarship for ditching. Serena knows that, shakes her head and urges her to go to class. 

 

"I'll be okay," And that's the thing about Serena; she  _will_ be okay. It might take a while but she's learnt how to mend and heal herself. Pick herself from out of the rubble and turn her ashen clothes into a gown again. It's been done a million times before. Vanessa's seen it happen once or twice. "I need to find Blair, anyway." 

 

 

 

 

 

It's easier to find Blair than Serena thought it would be. Even though they haven't known one another all that long, they've learnt everything there is to know about one another, memorised each other and mapped each other out. 

 

Serena knows that Blair lives with Vanessa because her father walked out on her and her mother because he fell in love with a 31 year old male model that worked for Blair's mother and didn't even have the decency to continue the affair in private, he had to announce it to the whole entire city and cause a major scandal by fleeing the Waldorf household in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye. Blair had been close to him so had understandably been hurt by his actions but Serena had disagreed, had told her that he shouldn't have to live in an unhappy marriage and should be with the person he truly loves. Blair had glared at her, swept her hair back into an elegant bun and told her that if her father truly loved  _her_ he would of stayed. Especially because he knew that she had never gotten on all that well with her mother Eleanor who always wanted her to be thinner, smaller, something she was not. It was never enough or Eleanor for Blair to be herself, scared and controlling and manipulative. Or the weight she was was never enough, healthier options and snide comments being shoved by her throat constantly. So once her father was gone, it was just her mother and her maid Dorota, and it started to feel too toxic of place to stay in. Then Dorota left, nine months pregnant and ready to raise another child. Two weeks into just living with her mother who was almost never there anyway and Blair had had enough. 

 

Serena knew that Blair had bulimia from the time she was thirteen to the time she was sixteen, that she was still, and always will be struggling with it. That it wasn't just her mothers influence of healthy eating and snide remarks and never being the right weight but the influence of the media Blair consumed and the models that practically lived in her house during fashion week. And she knew her favourite movie was Breakfast at Tiffanys and her favourite book was Emma by Jane Austen and she loved the Spice Girls. That she idolised Audrey Hepburn and wanted her life to be a classic movie filmed in black and white with an excellent score and wardrobe. Her favourite colour was lilac and baby blue and that she liked to coordinate her wardrobe by designer. That Blair likes classics and Vogues but would indulge in young lit once a month but would never admit to reading it to anyone else. Horror movies scared her and modern day movies mostly bored her because it lacked the grace and class that Blair loved about old films. She knew that Blair sung in the shower and when she's alone she would dance ridiculously in her pajamas, not graceful like at all. That when she was six she did Ballet but dropped out because she found it too difficult to keep up with and she had never found  _anything_ too difficult to keep up with. Serena knew that Blair was allergic to apricots and that she loved grapes and strawberries and some days she would indulge herself in chocolate. And she knew that Blair loved feeding the ducks and going for strolls in the park and going shopping to relax herself. Either that or she would take a bubble bath with macaroons and read a book. Serena knew all that and she knew a lot more than all that, too. 

 

"Hi," Serena says softly, standing behind Blair as she throws bread out to the ducks. Blair turns around, her eyes filled with tears. 

 

"Hi," She says back softly. Serena's heart swells with worry as she looks at Blair, then takes three short strides to where she stands and wraps her arms around her in a hug. Buries her head in her hair and whispers that she's sorry, that she didn't know he was her boyfriend, that they had a thing while the two of them had broken up. Blair takes her by surprise when she laughs, pushes her slightly off of her and wipes the tears away from her eyes. Serena had honestly been expecting world war three, to be ignored and bullied for the rest of her entire life. 

 

"You're not mad at me?" Serena asks, taken aback with shock at Blair's reaction to the chaos that had just taken place. A month had taught Serena a lot about Blair, including her reactions to certain situations. This was not the reaction she was expecting. Blair shrugs. 

 

"It's kind of hard to be mad at you when I'm in love with you," Blair steps forward, both hands cupped around Serena's face and she kisses her. 

 

To say it takes Serena by surprise is an understatement. Blair's hands are shaking as she cups Serena's face, nervousness seeking through her body as she attempts to kiss Serena but it all feels not as romantic as Serena had imagined it would be. Serena's too shocked to even respond, had dreamt about this for ages it feels weird for it to be finally come true. Blair steps back, hands falling to her side, eyes wide. 

 

"Do you not - Oh, I'm so sorry," Blair cries, hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment. Serena grabs Blair's hands, pulling herself closer towards Blair. 

 

Shaking her head, she says, "No it's not that, it's just that you're  _really_ nervous and I'm kind of in shock. Why don't we calm down and then we can try it again?" Serena suggests. Blair nods her head in agreement, leading her and Serena to sit down at a bench. Their fingers intertwined, a comfortable silence settling over them. 

 

Serena leans in then, her thumb brushing against Blair's cheek. Eyes closing as she leans in closer, Blair's own eyes fluttering closed. Her lips brushing against Blair's softly.  _This is what she imagined it would be like._ Soft and slow and innocent, like they're so young and it's their first ever real kiss. It's everything Serena imagined it would be and more. After a while she pulls away, their hands still intertwined and their foreheads resting against eachothers. 

 

"I didn't know you were in love with me," Serena admits quietly. 

 

"I kind of was the day I met you," Blair responds. 

 

Serena throws her head back laughing, unable to control the chuckles that keep on flowing out of her mouth. Not once does her hand leave Blair's, and the brunette laughs, too. Not because she knows what's funny but because Serena laughing just makes her happy. 

 

"I've kind of been in love with you since that day, too." Serena tells her.

 

 

 

 

Serena and Blair spend the rest of the day wrapped up in each other, walking all over the city holding hands and leaning into to each other, they don't kiss on sidewalks but they do kiss in the middle of the bathroom in a hotel. 

 

It should be enough to turn Serena's day around, but that's sort of where the rest of the trouble for her starts. Loving Blair would be difficult, it had been difficult so far and she's only been at the yearning phase. Bidding her goodbye with a friendly kiss pressed to her cheek, because god forbid she kiss Blair in public, it hadn't gone over too well when she kissed her last girlfriend in public - the stares and the lewd comments the two of them had received still gave her nightmares. And then she had gone off home only to find her house a total wreck. 

 

Serena can't remember much in between finding the house a total mess and finding out why. Lily had been having an affair with an old lover from her youth and Bart had found out and well, destroyed the house after the two of them got into a fight about it.

 

Serena slouches against the wall, one leg lying flat down and the other one held up against her chest. Lily was on the phone to someone, making wild hand movements and Eric was sitting next to her silently. Bart had stormed out after slapping down divorce papers on the table, waiting for Lily to sign them before collecting his few things and leaving with Chuck. Lily sighs, hanging up the phone and coming to sit down on the couch in front of Serena and Eric. Clasping her hands together she sighs again.

 

"I'm sorry you two had to see that - " Lily starts, for the first time in forever she actually does look sorry. Guilt creeping in across her face. It pulls at Serena's heartstrings, tempts her into comforting her mother. Despite all the fights the two of them get into, Serena loves her. Loves her with her whole entire being and only wants to see her happy; she can drag Eric and her through any sort of mess and Serena will still love her.

 

"It's not as bad as that time the house was covered in coke," Eric jokes dryly, laughing awkwardly to fill the tension in the room. Lily frowns, ready to burst into tears.

 

"Yeah, see? Not that bad!" Serena joins in, trying to lighten up the mood. It doesn't work. It won't work. So the three of them sit in the awkward tension filled silence as they reflect on the mess of the family they have and then Lily starts laughing, just bursts out laughing.

 

"This is crazy!" Lily chuckles, unable to control the laughter spilling out of her mouth. Eric is the next to break and Serena joins soon after, the three of them reminiscing on all the outrageous things they've gone through together as a family. Her fucking insane family that she loves to pieces and wouldn't change for the world.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is kind of semi unfinished. it's the start of what the relationship would be like rather than the full thing but i'm unsure of whether or not i'll add more of their relationship/the consequences/etc that i've got planned out.


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